SLA shelling on Vaharai hospital triggers exodus

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 January 2007, 06:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army stepped up shelling on Vaharai hospital Thursday night forcing 15,000 civilians to flee the Vaharai hospital area. 9000 Tamil civilians, denied basic needs, were forced to flee towards Kajuwatte entry and exit point Friday early morning, according to Vaharai Divisional Secretary, S. Giritharan. 200 tractors with fleeing civilians have reached Kajuwatte. Many women and children were fleeing on foot and bicycles. The only doctor at the hospital, T. Varatharajan, said the civilian IDPs who had sought refuge in the hospital area, were forced to flee as heavy shelling was stepped up during the early hours on Friday. Six civilians were injured Thursday night.
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One SLA trooper killed, two injured in Vadamaradchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 January 2007, 19:14 GMT]
Unknown gunmen attacked two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps, located at Vathiry Road in Udupiddy and David Camp in Navindil area, both in Vadamaradchi, Thursday, injuring two in David camp, sources from Jaffna said. Meanwhile, unconfirmed media reports in Jaffna said that a SLA trooper at Nagarkovil SLA front defence line in Vadamaradchi east was killed in Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) artillery attack while SLA sources said one trooper was killed in Tiger sniper fire Thursday evening. It is not known whether both reports referred to the same trooper.
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SLA shells Vaharai hospital, 5 civilians wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 January 2007, 17:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka army stationed at Mankerny and Kajuwatta camps have been continuously pounding the besieged Vaharai area with artillery shells from Thursday morning. SLA fired shells targeted Vaharai hospital area in the morning and in the evening and wounded five persons. Despite an urgent message passed to ICRC notifying the attack, after the SLA shelling Thursday morning between 6:00 and 10:00 a.m., the hopsital vicinty was attacked again in the evening at 5:15 p.m. wounding four civilians seriously. Targeting of medical facilities is a serious breach of the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) that applies to both internal and international armed conflicts.
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SLA killed pastor in Jaffna, removed identification, says Christian body

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 January 2007, 09:58 GMT]
National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) Wednesday said that Sri Lanka Army, on 13 Jaunuary, shot and killed Nallathamby Gnanaseelan, the head of Tamil Mission Church in Jaffna and removed the identification documents and the Bible, hiding vital evidence for the identification of the victim, in an attempt to depict the victim as an unidentified attacker.
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Sinhala civilian slain, Tamils threatened in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 January 2007, 07:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army troopers and police personnel Thursday morning threatened Tamil civilians at Mathavadikulam, a suburb located 3 km south of Vavuniya town, after a gang shot and killed a Sinhala civilian Wednesday night. The SLA soldiers warned Tamil residents that they would be chased away from the area, residents complained. The killing follows the slaying of 6 Tamil civilians Tuesday night in Vavuniya. Tension prevails in Mathavadikulam and Moonrumurippu.
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Two more youths surrender to Jaffna Human Rights group

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 19:51 GMT]
Two more youths sought protection with the Jaffna Humarn Rights Commission (HRC) group on Wednesday, adding to the 39 civilians already surrendered at the Jaffna office of the HRC, sources in Jaffna said. The youths complained of serious threats and intimidation by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers.
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White van squad abducts disabled man in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 15:20 GMT]
Unidentified armed men arriving in a white van abducted a disabled man in broad day light at Thettkiyalady in Chunnakam, Valigamam, Tuesday around 11:00 a.m, as he was riding his bicycle along Kankesanthurai road where Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers were present, the family members said.
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Hartley College student disappears

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 13:48 GMT]
An advanced level student at Hartley College, Point Pedro has been missing from Monday amidst escalating number of disappearances in Jaffna district. Murugananthan Paramananthan, 19, from Northern coastal town of Viyaparimoolai was on his way to Nelliyadi, 3km south of his home town to attend to personal errands, when he disappeared, the parents said in a complaint filed at the Jaffna offices of the Human Rights Commission (HRC).
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SLA hands over 7 LTTE bodies to ICRC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 11:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army officials handed over 7 dead bodies of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres, killed in Panichchankerni, south of Vaharai, to the ICRC in Valaichenai Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.
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Tutory owner shot dead in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 01:24 GMT]
Unidentified armed persons shot dead the owner of a private tuition center in Chavakachcheri town in Jaffna district around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, sources in Jaffna said.
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High school student disappears in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 00:44 GMT]
Students of Point Pedro Velayutham Boys’ School boycotted classes Tuesday demanding the release of the student who went on missing while on his way to attend tuition classes in a bicycle last Friday evening, sources in Point Pedro said.
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Family seeks protection with Rights Group

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 00:05 GMT]
An elderly couple from 15th mile post in Udupiddy, aged 56 and 54, together with their 15-year old daughter surrendered themselves on Tuesday at the Jaffna office of the Sri Lanka Human rights Commission (SLHRC) seeking protection from the Sri Lanka army (SLA) troops. HRC has obtained a court order to place the family in protective custody at the Jaffna prison.
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Reopening of Jaffna University delayed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 January 2007, 17:35 GMT]
Acting Vice Chancellor (VC) of University of Jaffna Prof K.Kumaravadivel, in a communiqué issued to the media on Tuesday announced that due to administrative difficulties the reopening of the university originally scheduled for January 22 is being postponed by few more weeks.
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SLA commander transfers paramilitary personnel in Arayampathy

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 January 2007, 15:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army 23-3 Brigade Commander Colonel Subasinghe, in an attempt to calm down the objections from the Muslims who oppose the armed passage of Karuna paramilitary personnel via Kathankudy Muslim town, after the recent violence in Arayampathy Kathankudy border, has transferred a key paramilitary operative and fellow personnel to the camps elsewhere. New paramilitary personnel have been posted the house attached to the STF camp in Arayampathy, according to Muslim representatives in Kaththankudy.
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5 SLA troopers killed in Claymore attack in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 January 2007, 15:24 GMT]
Five Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and three wounded in a Claymore attack in on Mannar road around 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, Vavuniya Police said.
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Sri Lanka steps up offensive on Vaharai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 January 2007, 08:35 GMT]
Heavy casualties were reported in fresh fighting as Sri Lankan armed forces launched a three pronged ground offensive towards Panichchankerni, south of Vaharai, towards Eachilampattu and Uppooral in the north. 12 Tiger fighters were killed and 7 wounded according to LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan who also claimed more than 40 SLA troopers were killed. Meanwhile Sri Lankan military sources in Colombo claiming to have inflicted a heavy casualty, more than 30, on the Tigers said 4 Sri Lankan troopers were killed, inclduing an officer and 20 wounded.
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SLA shoots dead 2 young men in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 January 2007, 21:41 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers shot dead two young men around 9:30 p.m. Sunday in an ambush in Mavadi Vembu in Eravur Police division in Batticaloa district, sources said.
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Unfolding misery

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 January 2007, 09:50 GMT]
More than 72,000 Tamil civilians internally displaced due to the military confrontations in the East, residing in 50 temporary camps in Batticaloa district's LTTE and GoSL controlled areas, are facing serious shortage of food, accommodation, drinking water, sanitation and toilet facilities, according to Batticaloa District Secretariat. Muttur east clashes, followed by battle for Sampoor, and now Vaharai clashes intensifying, the increasing numbers of Internally Displaced (IDPs) in Batticaloa face a dismal future.
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Muslim man shot dead in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 January 2007, 11:35 GMT]
The body of an young Muslim man was found near a mosque along Ganesh Lane in Palaiyootu, 3 km. southwest of Trincomalee town, police said.
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Heavy exchange of artillery fire at Thenmaradchi FDLs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 January 2007, 11:12 GMT]
Exchange of heavy artillery and rocket fire in the Forward Defence Line (FDL) positions at Muhamalai and other areas in Thenmaradchi between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) continued from Saturday evening until Sunday early morning, sources in Jaffna said. Small fire arms too were used in the clashes Sunday which lasted for more than an hour. No information on casualties is available.
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